The Proposal
by Art-Over-Matter
Summary: It starts as a casual day, at least for Anthony, but it will soon become one of the biggest days of his life... Ianthony fluffiness. If you don't like the Ianthony pairing, don't read.


The morning sunlight was filtering through the blinds when Anthony opened his eyes, making horizontal lines of brightness across the floor. The whole room was lit up with a warm April glow.

Anthony inhaled deeply and blinked a few times to wake himself up. He rolled over in the bed and set his gaze on the man lying next to him, ten or twelve inches away. Anthony smiled. Ian looked so adorably innocent when he slept, it made Anthony want to hug him on the spot.

But he didn't. Instead, he slid his head to the edge of his pillow, slightly closer to Ian, and just took a moment to appreciate the boyfriend he'd had for two years and known for almost twenty.

Ian's bowl hair was messy in the front, little flips of his bangs crossing over themselves on his forehead. His eyes were closed gently, his eyelids flickering slightly in light sleep. The covers were pulled up almost to his chin, despite that it wasn't cold.

Anthony smiled and reached out to set his hand on Ian's shoulder. The other man stirred when he felt the touch and his eyes fluttered open. Anthony slid his hand up to the side of Ian's face, circling his fingers in his hair.

Ian pulled away slightly and grabbed Anthony's hand, but he smiled. It was a little bit annoying, no doubt, that Ian was such a touch-me-not, but Anthony had grown used to it.

Ian gave Anthony's hand a small squeeze, then let go as he rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes again.

Anthony leaned over to give Ian a kiss on his temple, saying afterward, "Wake up, sleepy-ass."

Ian's lips curved into a smile, but he didn't open his eyes.

Anthony just shook his head and sat up, stretching briefly before getting out of the bed.

He had no idea that today would be one of the biggest days of his life.

O O O

Ian got up about fifteen minutes after Anthony, though he hadn't really fallen back asleep. By that time, the apartment was filled with the smell of fresh coffee.

Anthony was sitting in the living room as Ian went to the kitchen. "Is there anywhere we should go today?"

Ian knew exactly where they were going and why. But he just said, "Yeah, I think I've got plans."

"Really?"

"Yep." He didn't say anything else as he pulled some soy creamer out of the fridge to put in his coffee. (After living with Anthony for so long, he'd almost transitioned to veganism, though he still had no reservations when going out to eat somewhere or buying certain dairy products.)

"Where are we going, then?" Anthony asked.

Ian smirked a bit. "Just wait, dude. I'll get there. I just fucking got out of bed."

Anthony sighed in mock annoyance and didn't ask any more questions.

Ian was already feeling nervous. All he had to do was think about it and his gut twisted in nervous anticipation. But that was okay. That was expected.

Or maybe it was just that he was in a weird mood today, which became abundantly obvious when he walked into the living room with a smile and said, "Anthony, I love you" to the other man's puzzled face.

O O O

Hours later, in the late afternoon, the two men had just left a restaurant by the beach and were walking together to the least busy of the three piers that stretched out over the ocean. It was windy, but fairly warm for early April. Anthony was wearing a black jacket over his plain white T-shirt and had on a relatively new pair of aviator sunglasses.

He glanced sidelong at Ian as they walked. The shorter man was just putting on his black sunglasses, hiding his vibrantly blue eyes underneath their shadow. His hair was being mussed in the wind, his bangs swept to the wrong side as they fully revealed his eyebrows from over the glasses. He was wearing a white-and-navy striped shirt under a short-sleeved, baby blue button-up.

Anthony smiled, looking down at where he was walking, and mentally chuckled to himself as he thought about how gay it was that he was noticing Ian's outfit when it was pretty much the same thing he wore all the time.

"What are you thinking over there?" Ian asked, his head leaned forward and cocked to the side as he tried to catch Anthony's downward gaze.

Anthony looked up, seeing his own reflection in Ian's sunglasses. "Nothing. I was just—" He smiled, just because he couldn't keep a straight face even when something wasn't funny. "I was just thinking."

Ian chuckled, though Anthony didn't really know what about, and turned back to face the end of the pier.

"Do you think the water's cold?" Anthony asked, peering over the edge of the walkway at the dark, foamy liquid glinting up at him in the sunlight.

"Of course it is, dumbass," Ian said, jokingly harsh. "It's only been this warm for a few weeks."

Anthony snorted. "I guess you're right."

They walked without speaking for a few moments, and the sounds of the waves crashing behind them, seagulls squawking, and people in the distance yelling and laughing filled the air. The air, which smelled sharp and salty and fresh in Anthony's nostrils.

It was a good day, Anthony decided.

O O O

Was he ready? Could he be ready for this?

Everything went on in Ian's head. From the outside, he seemed like his normal, calm Ianly self. Internally, though, his mind was turning over dozens of possibilities—words he could say, tones of voice he could use, things he could do between sentences…. If there was a best way to do this, he would find it. Whether or not he could actually act upon it was another question entirely.

They reached the end of the pier heading out to the ocean, and instead it branched off to either side of them. At this point, they were ten or fifteen feet above the water, which swirled below them in chaotic patterns, rearranging the debris it carried however it pleased.

Anthony went up to the wooden railing and peered over the side. Ian wondered if it made him uncomfortable at all, since he knew Anthony occasionally got queasy around heights. He didn't act it, though, and it was only fifteen feet, so Ian figured he was perfectly fine.

Ian's eyes tracked the progress of a runner as she went by, heading back to the beach, before he stepped up next to Anthony. His heart was starting to pound in his chest.

Seemingly without even thinking about it, Anthony put an arm around Ian and pulled him against himself. The side of Ian's body fit to Anthony's and Ian sighed contentedly as he leaned the side of his head against Anthony's right shoulder.

"This is so fucking perfect," Anthony said, his voice just loud enough to hear over the waves.

Ian smiled. "Good."

That was what he wanted, after all.

O O O

Ian lifted his head off Anthony's shoulder and took his sunglasses off, turning Anthony's face to him. Without explanation, he planted a gentle kiss on Anthony's lips. As he pulled away, he murmured, "I have a lot I'm going to say and I just needed a little confidence boost."

Anthony gave him a puzzled smile because he wasn't sure quite what Ian meant.

The shorter man took a deep breath, paused, then reached out and pulled Anthony's sunglasses off. "Sorry," he said as Anthony blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the brighter lighting. "I just want to see your eyes when I say this."

Ian spoke in a simple tone—nothing dramatic—and as he did, Anthony's heartbeat began to grow excited in his chest. "Anthony Padilla, you are the love of my life. You are both my best friend and my beautiful boyfriend—somehow that works quite well—and I've known you for twice as long as I haven't. You're a geek sometimes—hell, a lot of the time—which I think is the cutest damn thing ever, and is also pretty convenient because I'm one too. I feel like we work really well together and I know you feel the same."

Anthony's vision was starting to become blurry with inexplicable tears.

Ian continued, and as he did, he set their sunglasses down on the pier railing. "I can't even begin to express how much you mean to me. I know, without a doubt, that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I believe you feel the same. But I think now is a fine time to find out." He took Anthony's hand in both his own and knelt down on one knee. "Anthony, will you marry me?"

Anthony's free hand covered his mouth in surprise, even though he'd seen this coming as soon as Ian had started his speech. He was crying in a way he never had before, such undiluted happiness flowing through his veins that he couldn't even think straight. "I—I—yes! Yes, of course, Ian!"

The nervous uncertainty in Ian's expression melted away and he grinned. "I don't have a ring or anything—I'm sorry. I thought we'd pick them out together…."

Anthony shook his head, trying to breathe normally. He couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed that he was crying, but he was hardly worrying about it. "That's fine—that's perfect. Oh my God, Ian, I love you so much…."

Ian was standing then, and as soon as he'd risen to his full height, Anthony pulled him into a tight hug. Somehow, in the process of embracing one another, one of them knocked off the sunglasses that had been balanced precariously on the railing and with a small splash, they fell into the water below.

Still holding each other loosely, the two looked over the edge just in time to see their glasses glinting in the sunlight as they sank.

"Fuck."

"Shit."

They paused then, looking at each other for a moment before Anthony burst out laughing and Ian grinned in response.

"Sorry," Ian said. "I shouldn't have set them there."

Anthony was having trouble breathing at this point, with the combination of residual sobs and laughs, but he managed to say, "I don't care, we can get new ones." He leaned in and kissed his boyfriend—fiancé—on the lips, wrapping his arms around Ian's waist.

When they parted, Ian said, "I knew you'd say yes. I was really nervous, though. I've been thinking about what I was going to say all day…."

"Well, it was perfect, Ian. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Any_one _better."

"I just—just did what felt right," Ian said, looking at the ground.

Without any warning, Anthony swept Ian into his arms, one arm under his legs and the other around his back. Ian laughed in surprise and put an arm around Anthony's shoulders to steady himself.

"Shit, dude, I didn't know you could pick me up like that," Ian said, tilting his head up to look Anthony in the eyes.

"I didn't either," Anthony chuckled.

"Really?" Ian asked, raising his eyebrows. "Good thing I trust you."

"I still might drop you, though," Anthony warned with a smile as he pulled Ian up closer to him and gave him another quick kiss. He set Ian down after that, and the two started to walk back toward the beach hand-in-hand.

"Goddamn," Anthony said to no one in particular, sounding amazed. "I had no idea today was going to be such a big day. What's the date?"

Ian chuckled. "It's the eighth."

"Okay. I'm gonna remember that. I'm gonna remember this date for the rest of my life, Ian Hecox."


End file.
